Busy, Busy

I have been super busy these past few days, I wasn't able to post in this blog.

I'm almost done with my long project. It's a nationwide study - I'm done with the Total Philippines, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao reports. All I have to do are the conclusions and recommendations. Requires much thinking. I wonder if I can still do it tonight.

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I have another report due this Wednesday. It is a four-group FGD study. The Client wants it to be detailed, full of verbatims. Oh no! That means, I have to listen to the tapes and take notes. The note-taker sent me her output but it may be lacking in verbatims. So, I will be busy again in the coming days.

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I hope to do the report for an FGD study on doctors. The groups have been convened. They just require an analyst. Hope I get the job.

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A client promised to give me two UAIs (Usage, Attitude, Image Studies) before the year ends. That should make up for the low fee he paid me for the nationwide project he gave me.

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I'm eager to write the script for the lotto trilogy. It has been ages since I last wrote a script!

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More flowers for you:

Happy Thanksgiving

It's Thanksgiving Day today in the US.

Well, everyday is thanksgiving day for me.

If I were to list all the things I am grateful for, this would have been a verrrry long post!

Most of all, I am thankful for...

...the gift of life

...my son, my mom, my siblings, and all my other loved ones

...all my friends

...the love I receive from everyone I meet each day

...nature

...my gifts and talents

...my work

...my dwelling place

...food I get to eat daily

...music

...movies

...books

...my trials (they have made me strong)

...computers and modern inventions

...and of course, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Such a short list!

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I emailed my lotto trilogy to my friend (a scriptwriter and director). She liked it so she asked me to write the script and she will direct the film. We will present it to Cinemalaya or Cinema One Original. Hope it gets accepted.

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Here's another lovely picture:

The Lord Giveth...

The Lord giveth, He taketh away...and He giveth again.

That's what happened just yesterday. A friend called up to say we have an FGD project. Then, later, she said it won't push through because she can't facilitate for four groups. She is going to Cebu on Friday. Later on in the day, she called again saying the project will go to us after all. I will do the analysis for four groups instead of just two. Yehey.

A small project came in today.

My ongoing project is still, well, ongoing. I had to revise the report so far. And new data came in.

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Humor for the day:

I was washing the dishes. Mom said to include the rice cooker and the kawali (frying pan).

She said, "Very easy. No grease. No Italy."

"No Spain." I added.

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I just love flowers! Don't you?

Praising God Through Songs

Last night, I listened/watched praise songs in YouTube. It's great to sing along, worshipping the Lord for all He has done.

Today, I listened to more CDs of worship songs.

God must be very pleased when we take time out to pray and sing praises to Him.

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I finished part 1 of my report. Three more parts to go. Whew!

I was supposed to analyze two FGD groups. But the project went to somebody else. Oh well, that's life.

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Today, mom's cysts in her kidney were removed. At long last. She kept postponing. Now, we don't have to worry about them.

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I've just finished the Book of Proverbs. Wise words indeed.

Romantic Comedy

Last night, I watched a wonderful romantic comedy entitled, "The Accidental Husband". It's about a love doctor and a man who wants to give her a dose of her own medicine. I enjoyed it thoroughly. Makes me want to write a romantic comedy movie myself. Ha ha.



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I worked on my project today. Was completely engrossed even if I played religious music while working. Oh, the joys of working at home!

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My mom told me that there was a lotto ticket that was never claimed. It was worth almost 200 million pesos. That got me thinking. Why not make a movie out of it? A trilogy perhaps. A teacher asks his class to come up with stories to explain the mystery behind the unclaimed lotto ticket. The three stories? In brief,

1) A man learns that he won. Sleeps but has a nightmare (hounded by everybody, kidnapped, etc.). He wakes up and tears the lotto ticket.

2) A lola keeps buying lotto tickets and her family totally ignores her. Then, when she learns that her number has won, she suffers a fatal heart attack clutching the winning ticket. The family members never learn what caused her attack.

3) A poor family beg for alms but they still manage to buy a lotto ticket. One day, a bunch of hoodlums grab their meagre belongings and money. A passerby comes to the rescue. Then, the mother faints from hypertension. The same passerby brings her to the hospital. Grateful, she gives the lotto ticket to the good Samaritan. The latter says goodbye. He actually is on his way to the US. Unfortunately, the airplane crashes.

What do you think? Has potential? Ha ha.

Miscellaneous Stuff

I have been working on my new project. I was eager to do it, I was able to finish the excel file already. Now, I am starting the report in powerpoint presentation.

I also finished my other short project for another client yesterday.

I've said it before, I say it again: I love being a marketing researcher/analyst!

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I just read a write-up about Pacquiao, a commentary on his fight against Margarito. I admire Manny for his humility and kindness of heart. What a hero!





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I'm already in the book of Psalms. Some of them, I am familiar with. I have finished reading the book of Job and was inspired by it.

Clearly, no book can compare with the Bible. It is full of wisdom and makes one have faith in God.

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Today, I ate mojos for breakfast.

For lunch, we had dinuguan, lumpiang togue and inihaw na liempo.

For merienda, we ate suman.

Thank God for food!

Small Projects

Two small projects came in today.

But both are interesting.

I do have an interesting and great job! It sometimes pays well, sometimes not so much. The important thing is that I enjoy being a marketing researcher and that I am of help to my clients.

I had a client meeting today. We ate steak and mussels at Slice N' Dice. Nice food. There was delicious soup, too.

I'm eager to start working already! There will be at least two more projects from the same client before the year ends. Yehey.

It's My Son's Birthday

That's right. My son turned 22 today.

We had a "simple" celebration. I ordered Shakey's delivery - two kinds of pizza (Manager's Choice and Pizza Blanca), 7-piece chicken, basket of mojos, two single-serve spaghetti, one Coke Zero and one Sprite in cans. Total bill? About P1,800 inclusive of the tip I gave the delivery boy.

There was too much food for mom, RR and I so it would stretch till tomorrow.

Mom even bought Selecta ice cream which of course, I am not allowed to eat.

Time flies so fast! It seems only yesterday when I first lay eyes on my son. Those were among the happiest moments of my life. He continues to be the joy of my life!

I remember the times we would go to the mall together and he would ask me to buy Pokemon toys. We would watch movies. We would eat at McDonald's, Jollibee, and later, our favorite restaurant was TGIF.

These days, we hardly go out anymore. But it's great to be living together. At least, I get to see him everyday.

I'm glad that my son has given up smoking and drinking. He reads the Bible regularly. I feel so blessed to have a son like RR.

Happy birthday, Ramon Rafael!

Unexpected Blessing

I have been waiting for my book royalties from my publishers for months now. Such that I have forgotten about them.

Suddenly, yesterday night, I got a call saying that the messenger will give me two checks. Yehey!

It is not much but equivalent to my income last month.

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I just love reading the Bible. I enjoyed reading the stories of Tobit and Judith. There is drama, romance, and even mystery.

If you haven't already, I suggest you get your Bible and start reading. It is very enlightening and inspiring.

Whole Day at the Hospital

Mom and I spent practically the whole day at the hospital.

We had to go early because I had to undergo lab tests which required fasting.

We ate breakfast at the canteen consisting of longganiza, fried egg, and rice.

I slept at the lobby.

After mom got the results, we went back to the canteen. We just ate french fries (Potato Corner) and fruit salad.

I wanted to hear mass but mom didn't bring me to the chapel.

We waited long for my internist because it was still early and he had a meeting. So, I slept again.
We were first in line. When he arrived and saw my lab results, he was pleased. The only thing "wrong" with me was that I gained 3 kilos and I have UTI.

While waiting for my next doctor, my hematologist, we ate cheesedog and softdrinks.

Although we were supposed to be no. 16, we were called first!

My BMT results showed a relapse of my multiple myeloma but only slightly from 5% to 6%. So, the doctor just said to continue my thalidomide. She was proposing another medicine which costs almost P300,000 a month! No way!

When we reached home, mom saw that there was listed beef lengua on the menu. But when I called the restaurant downstairs, it was no longer available. Oh well, I'm okay with Yakisoba.

It's good to be back home after a whole day at the hospital.

And the Real Winner Is...

No one won the P400+ million lotto jackpot. Wow! The amount itself is mind-boggling! Makes me think how "lucky" will the winner be.

But today, we have a real winner in the person of Congressman Manny Pacquiao. Poor Antonio Margarito, he didn't have much of a chance.

I did something terrible today. I was playing scrabble with somebody in FB. She was winning but taking too long to answer. I was tempted to force forfeit her and I gave in to the temptation. I feel so guilty!

Despite that, I kept winning so my average is now 48%.

And the Winner Is...

Everyone these days is talking about the Grand Lotto with its highest jackpot ever. Almost 400 million pesos!

I keep dreaming of what I will do if I win. (Which is impossible because I'm too poor to buy a lotto ticket.)

First, I will give 10% each to my four siblings and 20% to my mom. Then, 20% goes to charity including poor relatives and in-laws of my siblings. That leaves 20% to me and my son. I will buy my son a car and provide for his MBA studies. We will buy a three-bedroom condo unit and hire two maids.

I will spend each day, not shopping, but going to mass in each of the churches in Metro Manila.

Since this is an impossible dream, I just pray for the winner as follows:

Dear Lord,

Thank you for blessing this person abundantly. I know that You chose this person because he/she is truly deserving. Let his/her heart remain pure and not filled with pride. Protect him/her from jealousy from others and protect his/her family from evil men who are after their wealth. Guide this person to use the money wisely and for the good of as many people as possible.

These I ask, in Jesus' name.

Amen.

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My heart bleeds because I want to do acts of charity but I am not able to - physically and financially. So, I will just continue to carry out my ministry of prayer.

Bonding Time

I rode a taxi to my friend's house. The taxi driver was lucky enough to win 5 numbers in the lotto so he won P53,000. He used the money to have his house repaired.

I rode with my friend to another friend's house. There, we had lunch which consisted of kare-kare, patatim, lumpiang gulay, sago't gulaman, and bananas. Later, we had ice cream and lanzones.

We chatted, looked at facebook, watched YouTube, etc.

I brought home some patatim, lumpia, bananas and chichiria.

It's great to bond with old friends!

Work and Play

Work came in late today. So it's a working night for me!

On Friday, I will be meeting with a client on another project.

It's great to be working again!

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I have been playing scrabble in FB and my average is now 47%. Yehey. Slowly but surely I want to go beyond 50%.

Yesterday, I watched "Picture Perfect" starring Jennifer Aniston and Kevin Bacon. I like the romantic comedy because it's about honesty.

Tomorrow, I will be having lunch with some friends. It's bonding time.



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A little bit of humor:

On the day I gave birth, I went to the Delgado Clinic to choose a room. I just chose a small room to save on money.

I put under general anesthesia because I gave birth by Caesarian section. So, when I woke up, I was already inside my room but a much bigger one than the one I chose.

My first words? Instead of inquiring about my baby, I asked, "Magkano 'to?" (How much is this?)

Pain and Sweet Reward

I had my bone marrow test today. It was painful!...for less than two seconds.

Here is what a BMT is:

A bone marrow aspiration is a procedure to collect a small amount of bone marrow cells or tissue for testing by a hematologist. Here are the steps to a bone marrow aspiration.

The bone marrow test is usually done as an office procedure. The patient is usually asked to lie prone (on his abdomen) or to one side. The marrow sample is usually taken from the hip bone. The skin is cleansed with an antiseptic, and a local anesthetic is injected to make the skin numb.

For bone marrow aspiration, a thin needle is inserted into the bone and advanced inwards with a slow rotating movement till the marrow is reached. A small amount of liquid marrow is withdrawn.

The needle is removed and pressure is applied over the area to stop any bleeding. The area may be covered with a small antiseptic dressing. The patient is asked to keep lying down for 10-15 minutes. He or she is then free to leave.

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My mom heard me cry out in pain. For my "reward", she treated me to Sushi-Ya in Tomas Morato. We were the first and only customers at that time.

We ordered Bento Box consisting of soup, California Maki, hagedashi tofu, ebi tempura, and rice. I had Coke Zero, my mom had iced tea.

It's been a long time since we last ate out. It was a sweet reward indeed.

Thank God For Blessings

A couple of projects came in. Praise God!

My aunt is giving us her two-year-old 10 cubic ft. ref. Yehey! I'm asking my friend, Olan, to lend us their truck to transport the ref to our place.

The heirs of my dad's former employer decided to give us a token amount for past services. Enough to pay for my medicines for months.

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Tomorrow, I will undergo another bone marrow test. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Hope my multiple myeloma has not worsened although I still feel pain.

I look forward each day to reading the Bible. I love the story of Saul and David.

Twice Blessed

I was twice blessed today. Because I heard two masses. Yes, two. One was "live", the other via Internet.

The live mass was the first Friday mass held at our condo. The priest was the same one who heard my confession a few weeks ago. In his sermon, he talked about the dishonest steward who was praised for being "mapamaraan". Of course, I felt joy in receiving Holy Communion since I don't get to do so weekly.

The Internet mass was a day late because it is held in the US. The priest talked about St. Charles Borromeo because it was his feastday yesterday.

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I'm continuing to read the Bible. I am about to read the Book of Ruth. I find the Bible really fascinating. Although one would think that God seems jealous and vindictive, He is actually true to all His promises. It is the Israelites who are a "stiff-necked" people. I like Moses, Joshua and Samson.

At the rate I'm going, I should be finished with the Bible by year-end. Then, I wouldn't mind reading it again maybe using another version. The one I'm reading now is the New American Bible.

Scary Movies

I watched two scary movies last October 31.

One was "Text", a local movie starring Angel Locsin, Dennis Trillo and Oyo Boy Sotto. I've seen parts of it before so I wasn't that scared when I watched it last Sunday.

The other one was "Halloween II". Gory! I prefer "Halloween" in terms of fear appeal simply because it was fresh material.

Another movie I failed to blog about was one I watched about two weeks ago. It is entitled, "Drag Me to Hell". Not a boring moment. But I didn't like the ending.

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More and more people are giving feedback on my book, "What I Think Heaven Is Like". Somebody give me a publisher, please?